Behind the Scenes
by Danica Napier
Summary: What were Arthur and Ariadne thinking about each other during Inception? And what would happen if Ariadne wasn't sent to the third level of the inception of Fischer?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! OMG I love Arthur and Ariadne so much, I just had to write a fanfic about them. K, hope ya like it! :D **

Chapter 1

I was a normal college student studying architecture in Paris, France. I was in love with the beautiful French city. I lived in a small Parisian apartment only five minutes away from my classes. My favorite teacher was Miles.

I was listening to one of Professor Miles' lectures, again, on a lazy spring day. Even though I'd rather be outside, reading a good book or sketching random buildings in sight, I knew that this had to happen first.

After the lecture, Miles came up to me, a gleam in his eyes. Another man was standing beside him.

"Mr. Cobb has a job offer to discuss with you," Miles told me.

I started to smile. This was good.

We went to a local café down the street. I was really confused about all this dreaming stuff.

"How do you know this isn't a dream?" he asked suddenly. And then everything started blowing up. Not explosions, but fruits in a fruit stand was explode and there would be fruit everywhere. This was extremely weird. And then, when I least expected it, something exploded from behind me, hitting me square in the head, and the world went black.

I woke up to find myself lying on a lawn chair in a small warehouse. "Woah."

I looked around and saw another man, younger than Cobb, though probably a bit older than me, leaning against the wall, looking outside. He was handsome, if I had to say so myself, with his slicked back hair and dark eyes. He fit perfectly into the saying "tall and dark and handsome."

I bet he noticed me looking at him, cause he smirked at me in a such a way that it made me blush.

Cobb woke up a minute later. He got up and spun a top on a table with a silver briefcase.

"Oh by the way, Ariadne, this is our point man, Arthur, one of the best out there." Cobb patted Arthur on the back and ruffled his hair. Arthur laughed, but I saw him straighten his vest and tie and smooth his hair when Cobb wasn't looking. I knew he was the immaculate, serious, smart type.

"You must be our potential architect," Arthur said to me, a small grin on his handsome face. He held out a hand, which I shook lightly.

I looked down at his watch while shaking his hand. "It's only four o'clock?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"But I'd say that I was talking to Cobb for an hour," I said.

"Hour in the dream, five minutes in reality," he told me.

"Wow."

"Well, your mind functions faster in the dream than it does in the real world," said Arthur.

"Okay, let's go under one more time before you decide," said Cobb, getting ready.

Arthur inserted the needle into my wrist gently. Then, just before I was out, I felt his hand behind my back, guiding me so I wouldn't fall too hard into the back of the chair.

I was in the city again, only walking and not near the café.

"I guess I thought that the dream space would be all about the visual, but, it's more about the feel of it," I said to Cobb.

"My question is, what happens when you start messing with the physics of it all?"

We stopped walking. There was a loud creaking noise. And then I saw half the city fold over on top of us. But the other half of the city fit in perfectly with the other. "It's something, isn't it?" I said.

"Yes it is," he said, still looking up at the upside down part of the city. Everything was functioning normally up there, surprisingly. But after all, it was a dream. And when I started walking vertically, I was blown away by what I could do here.

But as we walked further, I noticed that all the people were staring at me as I passed by them. It was kind of freaking me out inside. "Why are they all looking at me?" I asked.

"Because my subconscious feels that someone else is creating this world. The more you change things, the quicker the projections start to converge them," he said.

"Converge?" I asked, looking behind me to look at him.

"They sense the foreign nature of the dreamer. They attack like white blood cells fighting an infection."

"They're going to attack us?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"No." He paused for a couple seconds. "Just you," he said so quietly it was barely audible.

**OMG, cliffhanger! Thanks for reading the first chapter, I'm definitely going to continue, it will be an eventual Arthur and Ariadne, it's just too soon right now! Please review! And I promise to add more to the story as soon as I can, cause school really takes away time from my stories :P! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, I'm changing up the story just a bit, because I must make Ariadne jealous. So I will go by (mostly) the real Inception, but there will be a couple different details and added scenes, hence the term "Behind the Scenes."**

Chapter 2

We walked just a little bit further, where I turned a sidewalk into a bridge.

"This is great, but I'm telling you, if you keep changing things like this-" he never finished what he was saying, because I started walking up the steps.

As I walked through the bridge, one of the projections bumped into me. "Jeez, mind telling your subconscious to take it easy?" I said.

"It's my subconscious, you can't control it," he said. I walked down the steps of the bridge briskly.

I entered a small square, with two large glass doors to the side. I started pulling the nearest one so it closed the opening of the bridge and the square. Cobb watched what I was doing carefully, spinning around when I walked over to the other glass door. After closing the door, I looked at myself in the giant mirror. I reached out my hand slowly. It shattered just as I touched it ever so softly. My hand lingered in the air for a few extra seconds, as I was stunned that the glass shattered.

But when I looked at what took the glass door's place, the bridge that I walked through everyday to get to the college was there. I started walking again.

"Very impressive," Cobb said from behind me.

I opened my mouth in wonder as I kept walking. I felt something was wrong behind me, because I didn't hear Cobb's constant footsteps anymore.

"I know this bridge," he said. He started walking again. "This place is real, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I cross it everyday to get to the college," I said.

"Never recreate places from your memory, always imagine new places-"

"Well, you gotta draw from stuff you know, right?" I said, not really paying attention to Cobb.

"Only use details, like a streetlamp or a phone booth, never entire areas." His voice was starting to sound urgent.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because building a dream from your memory is the easiest way to lose your grasp on what is real and what is a dream," he said.

"Is that what happened to you?"

"Listen to me!" He grasped my arm so fast I turned around, shocked. "This has nothing to do with you, understand?"

"Is that why you need me to build your dreams?" I knew I was going over the line. I saw the projections standing in a group, surrounding us.

A male projection starting to grab me. "Get off her." Cobb pushed him away. "Back up."

"Hey!" I half shouted-half mumbled.

"Back up!" he yelled at the projections. I let out a throaty scream. I saw him get pulled away by a few projections.

"Cobb!" I shouted. "Let me go, please!" That was to the projections.

"Mal!" Cobb yelled.

"Cobb! Let me go, let me go!" I screamed hurriedly.

"Mal!" he yelled again. I knew he was yelling at a shockingly beautiful woman in a trench coat, coming toward me with a knife.

"Wake me up! Wake me up!" I screamed.

"Mal, no, no!"

"Wake me up! Wake me u-" And Mal plunged the knife into me.

xxxxxx

I woke up with a start, gasping for breath. My eyes involuntarily opened and closed as I tried breathing.

"Hey, hey, hey, look at me, you're okay, you're okay, hey," Arthur said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. He looked straight into my eyes, and I looked into his seemingly black ones.

I sighed frantically. "Why did I wake up?"

"Because there was still some time on the clock, you can't wake up from within the dream unless you die," he said as he took out the needle from my wrist.

"She'll need a totem," Cobb said, getting up.

"What?" I asked.

"A totem, it's a-" Arthur started.

"That's some subconscious you got on you, Cobb, she's a real charmer!" I called out to him.

"Ah, I see you met Mrs. Cobb," he said, looking down.

"She's his wife?" I asked.

"Yeah." He nodded.

And I left. Even though it was the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me, besides what happened with Mal, I just couldn't bring myself to say yes.

I walked home to my normal Parisian apartment and immediately fell down onto the bed. I fell asleep almost instantly.

ARTHUR'S POV

I was slightly disappointed that Ariadne had declined our offer. I was hoping she would say yes, mostly because I knew she was a good architect. But in my mind, I knew that I just wanted to see her again. I had to admit she was pretty. Though I was exactly nine inches taller. Hey, I've done the research. It's pretty easy when Miss Ariadne Adams is on Facebook, though I don't know why she would put her height.

Cobb left for Mombasa to find Eames, a man who would, till the end of time itself, try to irritate me. He was needed for inception, so I didn't have a choice. We needed a forger.

I walked around Paris for a couple minutes, because I decided I've done enough research for the day. I sat down at a small café, and I took out my cell phone. My girlfriend, though I was about to dump her, because I know she's cheating, after all, it's been a year since I've last seen her, has called. Jen, though I had loved her, was just a distant memory now. The saying was wrong, I've fallen out of love with time. But maybe she wasn't the right one.

I really hate thinking about my feelings, it distracts me from work. I have to be the best point man I can be to survive in this business.

I went back to the warehouse at around five o'clock. It was still light out. I stood in front of the PASIV, just staring at it. Then I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

It was Ariadne.

"Cobb said you'd be back," I stated simply.

"I tried not to come, but…" Her voice trailed off. I knew she was trying to think of the words that she was going to say.

"But there's nothing quite like it," I finished for her.

"It's just… pure creation." She smiled at me. And I smiled back.

**I promise to update as soon as I can! Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! Ok, this chapter is a scene that was not in the movie, just to add a little, detail, hehehe. **

I just finished sketching the first level of the dream. Arthur had taught me a couple days ago about paradoxes, the Penrose Steps, so I was going to incorporate them into the second level of the dream. Today, Cobb was coming back with Eames, a man I had never met, but Arthur seemed to hate, and a chemist. Also, Saito was coming tomorrow.

I heard a banging on the door. I saw Arthur's hand wrapped around a gun. I had told him before that normal people don't randomly carry around guns, but he insisted that it was for our safety, especially mine. He was such a gentleman.

He held the gun up as he walked to the door and opened it. It was Cobb, and the two others. As soon as the British one saw me, Eames, he smiled and winked. I desperately wanted to shout to him, "Stop already! I know your type!" But I willed myself not to.

"Hello, darling," Eames said to Arthur, reaching for Arthur's hair. Arthur slapped his hand and glared. I had a feeling Eames got a kick out of annoying him. I stifled a laugh. He winked at me again. I walked over to the chemist, a man with curly hair and a curly beard.

"Hi, I'm Ariadne, the architect," I said, smiling politely.

"I'm Yusuf," he said, smiling back. I was happy. At first he seemed a little creepy, but I realized it was because he was in a foreign country so new to him.

I nodded to Cobb and Eames, and then I went back to my desk to work again. I saw Arthur do the same. And no, I was not trying to look at him. Okay, maybe a little.

ARTHUR'S POV

I hated Eames. Did he always have to try to mess everything up? I mean, it's just hair, but that's not the point. Well, kind of, Ariadne would see me with my hair messed up, and that would be embarrassing. I still haven't forgiven him for using my toothbrush, which gave me a fever so I couldn't accept a job offer.

I watched Ariadne out of the corner of my eye. And no, I was not trying to look at her. Okay, maybe a little. Then I saw Eames walk over to her. She started laughing at something he said. I felt myself tense up. Too bad Eames noticed this.

"Aw, our little stick-in-the-mud feeling tense?" he teased. I punched him in the arm. I'm not usually this violent, but he was really getting on my nerves, again.

"Feeling better?" I asked, disgusted. "Now shut up and leave her alone."

Ariadne blushed faintly and put her head down.

"Aw, how cute! Our little point man is protecting the little architect!" Eames gushed.

"How about you shut up?" I pushed him away from Ariadne.

Eames walked away and stuck out his tongue. I was not about to stoop that low to his childish level, so I gave him the finger. I heard Ariadne laugh behind me. I walked away.

The nerve of him. It made me want to throw him off a cliff. My life would be so much better.

ARIADNE'S POV

I worked on the second level for only five minutes when Eames started talking to me. He was really funny. Too bad Arthur doesn't think that. I was actually scared when they started fighting. I knew Eames was annoying, but I ignored it. Arthur didn't, or couldn't.

"Hey darling." I could recognize that voice anywhere.

"What?" I asked. It's been an hour since the last time we talked.

"I only got a couple minutes, cause I know Arthur will be back soon," he said.

"Where did he go?" I asked curiously.

"Out, probably to call his girlfriend," he replied casually.

"Girlfriend?" I spat out the word venomously. I couldn't believe it.

"Why, jealous?" Eames smiled mischievously.

"No, and why would I be?" I asked angrily.

"No reason." He kept grinning stupidly and looked up at the ceiling.

I hit him on the arm, though a lot lighter than Arthur had punched him. I was being playful, Arthur was angry when he punched Eames.

Arthur came back only seconds later, not even glancing at me. But I was mad at him. He went straight to his laptop.

"See, the poor man has no idea how to have fun," Eames whispered to me.

I laughed. Arthur didn't even look up, though I saw him clench his fist.

"Hey, darlings, how about we all go to da club tonight?" Eames asked everyone. Including Arthur.

Cobb, reluctantly, said yes, and so did Yusuf and I. Arthur said no. Eames said yes, obviously, and we had the clear majority. We were going tonight at ten o'clock. I couldn't wait. It was clear Arthur could.

ARTHUR'S POV

I can't believe everyone decided to go to the club. We had work to do! I was only going for Ariadne, if she wasn't there then I wouldn't go at all.

I picked out another suit, a black one with a red tie. I wore my usual dress shoes. I looked at myself in the mirror for a couple seconds before leaving. I was meeting them there. This was going to be a long night.

I met them all at the front entrance. Ariadne was stunning. She was wearing a strapless purple dress, with high heels, so now she was at least two inches taller. She must've felt my gaze, cause she turned around and looked at me. I looked away.

Most of the time, I sat at a table with Yusuf and Cobb, and watched as Ariadne danced with some of her friends, and Eames made out with random girls. He was so drunk. I drank half of a martini.

I walked up to the bar and asked for a glass of red wine. I didn't care what brand at this point. As I reached for it, Eames grabbed it and drank most of it. Then he made out with another girl and left me to pay. I paid the money.

"Hey Artie!" Eames shouted. Ugh, I hated being called that. Then he grabbed Ariadne and kissed her, full on the mouth. She managed to get away just seconds later, but I was furious. And I barreled him over into the table.

"Bar fight!" someone shouted. And everything was chaos. People were fist fighting all over, everyone was screaming. But I had my own fight to deal with. I punched Eames over and over. Then he broke my martini glass over my head. I shoved him against the wall and broke a chair over his head. And then a wine glass. I was out of control.

I don't know when I got out, but the last thing I remember was Ariadne looking down at me, with a look of disappointment in her eyes.

**Ooh! Arthur was in a bar fight! Now we have to wait for what Ariadne says to him! Don't worry, I'll update soon! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, thanks for the reviews! Just had to say that before anything else! And, just to put it out there, I hate DBQ essays :{ Ok, here's the 4****th**** (omg, 4****th**** already?) chapter :D**

COBB'S POV

I can't believe it. It had only been two hours ago, but I could remember Arthur crashing into Eames as if it was playing in front of me like a movie. I mean, I respect that he did it for Ariadne, but I was mad at myself. Why did I pick such a pretty architect? Even though he was good at masking his feelings, I knew Arthur liked her. For more than a friend. And this doesn't happen often, so I knew that this would deepen quickly. I was happy for him, but I wish it was after the job. Usually people who don't fall in love easily end up falling faster than anyone else when they find "the one."

And Eames. I really shouldn't have said yes to going to the club. I thought it would distract me from Mal, but it didn't. I ended up just sitting the whole time at a table with Yusuf, thinking about none other than her. Why?

Eames had been out of control at the club. I knew it would get ugly, fast.

At the moment, I had no idea where Eames, Arthur or Ariadne were. I was at the warehouse with Yusuf, apparently he was the only sensible one here.

"Do you think they're okay?" asked Yusuf.

"I bet they're fine." But really I wasn't sure what to think.

ARIADNE'S POV

I watched the bar fight, frightened. Then, I screamed when Arthur was knocked out by Eames. I managed to pull him to my car, and then drive to my apartment. He was all bruised and bloody, with glass fragments stuck in his skin. And his hair was messed up. I felt the urge to smooth it down, but I might wake him up. I laid him on the couch.

The next morning, I woke up, and I thought it was all a dream. I went to my kitchen and made breakfast, and when I looked over into the living room was when I realized that this was not a dream. It had been real. The fight, him getting hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, it had happened just last night.

"Ariadne?" I heard his voice ring out as I was brushing my teeth. I walked into the living room, with my toothbrush in my mouth.

"Oh, sorry, finish up," he said, looking down, embarrassed. I had a weird blush pattern, FYI.

As soon as I got to the bathroom, I finished brushing, then I washed my face, put on a bit of makeup, and combed my hair. And changed into jeans, a blouse and a scarf, my usual outfit. Then I brought a first-aid kit with me to the living room, where he was waiting patiently. _Don't blush, don't blush, don't blush_, I thought to myself as I took out the glass as gently as I could. He would occasionally hiss in pain and close his eyes, but most of the time he kept his composure. When I was finished taking out the glass, his stony facial expression had appeared back on his face. He was always trying to hide his feelings, and it was really getting annoying.

I started cleaning his cuts. He had several on his forehead. Unfortunately, I had to apply hydrogen peroxide, the stinger. As a kid, I tried not to cut myself, and NOT in an emo way, so I wouldn't have to feel the sting of hydrogen peroxide. His fist clenched. I so desperately wanted to open up his hand, but that would be extremely awkward. He doesn't even like me, cause he has a stupid girlfriend! Ugh. Just when I find a cute guy, he's taken. Yay. And that was sarcasm.

EAMES'S POV

Last night was fun. Even the bar fight. Most people would find that scary, but after all, I was so incredibly drunk I didn't care. Yeah, I'll admit that, I was probably over the legal amount, by a lot.

Messing with Arthur is the most entertaining thing to do, ever. I can't believe I actually managed to knock him out. And I heard Ariadne scream, our little architect actually cares about Mr. Point Man.

I don't even know how I ended up in the warehouse. I just woke up there at noon. Personally, I bet Cobb and Yusuf picked me up.

Man, if only that night could happen every night.

ARTHUR'S POV

That night was crazy. As soon as I saw Eames kiss Ariadne, against her will, I just lost it. Everything felt like it had been in slow motion when the fight started. Everything was chaos. I still couldn't believe that I, Arthur, the focused, immaculate Point Man had started a bar fight.

And then I woke up, in a place I didn't recognize before. But, I just randomly called out "Ariadne", and she walked into the living room, brushing her teeth. I apologized, embarrassed that I had disturbed her while she was performing an act of dental hygiene.

Then she nursed me, technically, while I lay there like a baby, hissing in pain. I wasn't able to mask my emotions. I didn't want her seeing me hurt. But sometimes it was so hard.

The rest of the day, she made me lunch and dinner. Before lunch, I insisted that I could make it by myself, but when I stood up, I immediately fell over. She then laughed, and said that she didn't think I could make my lunch now. I pulled myself back onto the couch, while she baked me macaroni and cheese, a meal I haven't had since I was twelve, but I didn't say anything. I still loved the cheesy taste.

During dinner, we watched Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, in French. Neither of us were very fluent. I had taken the time to learn Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Polish and Danish, but I never learned French, except for a simple greeting, bonjour. I was surprised she didn't speak French. She said that she tried, but it was too confusing, so in high school she learned Spanish.

When Tamina fell, she screamed and grabbed my hand. I smiled in my head. And we fell asleep like that, her holding onto my hand, with her dinner on her lap, mine on the floor.

ARIADNE'S POV

The next day, I woke up to find myself holding HIS hand, leaning against HIM. He was still asleep. He looked so unworried and peaceful when he slept. I stared at him for a couple minutes before making us both breakfast. Then I realized that we had to go to work today.

"Arthur! Wake up! Work!" I whispered in his ear. He got up immediately, and ate his breakfast. I knew he was uncomfortable, because he didn't have another suit and he couldn't slick his hair back. But it looked cute when it wasn't slicked back. It was actually kind of curly, and it kind of covered his forehead. But it wasn't the Arthur I was used to.

He insisted driving, so I let him. We got to the warehouse in five minutes. It would've taken me ten minutes.

He started working the second we got there. We both avoided Eames's playful gaze. While sketching, I looked at him. I was slightly disappointed. I thought he would ask what I thought of him starting that fight for me. I would ask him later. Then I saw Eames walk over to Arthur.

"Arthur, I got a surprise for you," he said, grinning.

"What?" Arthur asked, clearly annoyed.

The front door opened suddenly, and a tall, pretty lady with straight red hair and blue eyes walked in. I saw Arthur's mouth drop open. And then I knew who it was.

It was his girlfriend.

**Ok, so we have yet to wait for what Ariadne thinks of Arthur. But a little jealousy will be stirring in the air next chapter, definitely ;) And please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! Sorry, I usually update everyday, but I had a lot of homework, and I had to practice violin, and I'm sick :(**** It was so (not) fun. Ok, (drum roll!) here's the 5th**** chapter!**

The rest of the day, I worked hard. I finished the third level of the dream already. It was way sooner than I had planned. But I purposely did this so I didn't have to talk to or see Jen. I even skipped lunch and dinner just to avoid her. Her and Arthur left early, though I knew he left reluctantly. But why was I still jealous?

Late that night, I decided to go into the dream to check it out. But I couldn't find the PASIV. Then I saw a light in the back room. Cobb was still there, and he was using the PASIV. I was curious about what he was dreaming, so I hooked myself up and went under.

I appeared in a elevator. I pressed the button to go down. I saw Mal and Cobb sitting at the window seat, talking softly. I leaned closer to the elevator door to hear. Suddenly, Mal turned her head and looked at me with cold eyes. It nearly scared me to death. Cobb immediately got up, opened the door and pushed the button to the top floor.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sternly.

"Well, I saw you running one of your 'tests' again, and I wanted to find out what you were really doing," I said. I bet he was thinking I was too curious for my own good.

The elevator stopped and opened. There was a nice beach, and I saw Mal, James and Philippa, together, laughing, smiling, having fun. I smiled slightly at the sight of them.

Cobb closed the door and pushed a button to go downstairs again. Then I saw that there was a button for basement. I wanted to know what was there. We ended up in a house.

"Is this your house?" I asked. It was contemporary.

"Yes," he answered.

We started walking down the hall to the kitchen. I looked outside and saw James and Philippa playing by themselves. I saw Cobb standing there too, just watching. This was the perfect chance. I ran down the hall and into the elevator and pressed B. The last thing I saw was Cobb's frightened expression. I wondered what could be so bad.

Then the elevator stopped and opened. I walked into an empty hotel room. The window was open, letting the breeze in. There were shattered wine glasses everywhere. Then I saw Mal, sitting on the sofa. She turned around and stood up, then looked at me, though not in a completely evil way. She walked toward, miraculously avoided all the shattered glass on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" Mal asked.

"My name is-" I started.

"I know who you are," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just trying to understand-" I started again.

"How could you understand? Do you know what it is to be a lover? To be half of a whole?" she asked.

"No…" My voice trailed off.

"I'll tell you a riddle. You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you don't know for sure. But it doesn't matter. How can it not matter to you where that train will take you?" asked Mal. She stepped a little bit closer.

"Because you'll be together," Cobb said from behind me. I whirled around to face him. He was staring intently at Mal.

"Mal, stop this," he said, looking broken.

For a minute I almost cried. Then Cobb pulled me toward the elevator, with Mal running after us. He managed to close the door before she got there. He pressed the button going upstairs.

"You promised! You promised!" she screamed.

"Please, I just have to keep you here, just for now," he said.

"You said we'd be together! You said we'd grow old together!" she cried out desperately.

"I'll come back, I promise!" he pleaded. And she disappeared from sight.

ARTHUR'S POV

This was absolute torture. I can't believe this was the same Jen I had loved. She was nothing like she was before. She used to be very quiet, studious, a little wild, but always kept to herself. This Jen was babbling the whole way over to the hotel. She reminded me of Jen's twin, Caitlin. But I all I knew is that she moved to Canada to study medicine. Caitlin was very much like the Jen who was sitting next to me on the sofa.

Jen noticed that I wasn't moving. "Are you okay, Arthur?"

"Are you Caitlin?" I blurted out. "Because if you are, where's Jen?"

She looked at me with such sorrow in her eyes that it made me want to cry. "She's dead, Arthur."

ARIADNE'S POV

"Your guilt is what defines her, Cobb," I told him. "Just accept the fact that she's dead, and why would you be guilty?"

He didn't answer. He packed up the PASIV. And I went home.

EAMES'S POV

I brought in Caitlin for a reason. One, because she's hot. Two, I just found out that Jen was killed in a shooting, though it didn't involve her. She was an innocent bystander who happened to be walking to the library at eight P.M. Three, I knew he would take the news a little bit easier from her. Even though, messing with Arthur is fun, no, it's _extremely_ fun, I, somehow, in one way or another, cared about him like a brother. A how-the-heck-am-I-related-to-you brother. Don't say I never did anything for him.

**Ok, not as much Ariadne/Arthur in this chapter, but there will be next chapter, I promise! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, omg the dance was so dramatic! Like, VERY dramatic ;D Anyway, this scene is not in Inception, but it's got a lil' bit o' fluff, hehehe! And sorry for the little grammatical error in the last chapter, my bad. **

I was worried. A lot. Arthur came to work everyday. Yet he wasn't here. Everyone, except Eames of course, was pacing. Suddenly, the door opened and Arthur walked in, hiding his face with his hands and going immediately to his laptop. Eames seemed to understand. His eyes softened as he walked over and placed his hand on Arthur's back.

"When?" Arthur mumbled. "When did it happen?"

I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, but it was obviously important to Arthur.

"Last week, in a shooting," said Eames, bowing his head. "Thought it'd be easier to tell you this way."

"By thinking she was still alive?" Arthur's voice was shrill.

"No, from getting it from someone who knew her well." Eames sounded like a father, almost.

"Thank you, now leave me alone," Arthur said.

Eames grinned and walked away. I sat down next to Arthur at his desk. "Hi."

"Hi." He looked at the computer screen.

"Could you please, _please_, tell me what happened?" I pleaded, trying to use my best puppy-dog face.

"I'm sorry, no," he said, turning away. I walked back to my desk and sighed in defeat.

Later that night, after going home, I realized that I forgot my notebook in the warehouse. But when I got there, Arthur was laying on the lawn chair, dreaming. I quickly hooked myself up.

I appeared in a café, where Arthur was sitting with Jen. I hid behind a waiter. Yeah, I'm smart. He obviously noticed me, but he didn't turn away from Jen. Then she waved to him and left. Arthur got up and walked over to me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sternly.

"Uh," I said, looking up at the sky. "I came back to get my notebook, and I saw you dreaming, so I wanted to know what you were dreaming about."

"Invasion of privacy," he tsked. But the smirk on his face told me he wasn't that mad. I looked at his watch. It was eight o'clock in the evening, yet it was still a little light out. Then a shot rang in the air. Arthur ran towards the noise, with me in hot pursuit. And when we got to the library, Jen was laying on the ground, dead.

I saw his eyes tear up, but he noticed me, of course, looking at him and he turned away. "Don't hide your feelings." I put my hand on his shoulder. He put his hand over mine.

"Hey, Arthur!" a man called out.

"No time no see," Arthur muttered.

"You got that right," another man said, after snapping his gum loudly. He pulled out a gun. "Who's the pretty lady?"

"Ariadne," said Arthur, getting ready to fight. And then he punched the man and he crashed into the other one, sending him into the wall. I gasped in shock.

Another man, shorter, walked out of the building. A flickering light was on inside. A fire!

More men came out and surrounded Arthur and me. I kicked and screamed, but to no avail. _Just like Cobb's subconscious, _I thought to myself. Somehow, Arthur got free and pulled me out. We ran, but there was a paradox, and we stopped, trying to think of a plan. The building was engulfed in flames. Arthur stared at a sidewalk. Before I knew it, he grabbed my hand and ran. Behind me, I heard the men run after us. I screamed as I tripped over a pothole. Arthur grabbed me before I fell down and ran with me in his arms. We reached a bridge, that was at least fifty feet above the dark, rapid river. We all stopped. The first man held a bomb. He threw it on the ground and it exploded. The next thing I knew was that Arthur's hand was around mine, and just as the heat and energy of the explosion reached us, we were plummeting down to the river's black waters.

ARTHUR'S POV

We just managed to get out of that dream before we had death by explosion. But I don't understand how we died. We never even hit the water. We were still in the air when the dream ended. Ariadne woke up beside me, still shaking. She looked at me with wondrous eyes. She had just seen how Jen had died. I didn't want her to carry that burden.

I got up and closed the PASIV. Then I saw the reason we had woken up before dying.

EAMES'S POV

After a "dinner date" with a very lucky Caitlin, I decided to go back to the warehouse to get my Ferrari keys. Then I saw Arthur and Ariadne asleep on the chairs, most likely shared dreaming. I couldn't resist myself, so I kicked both of their chairs. And I watched them almost fall over. They both managed to catch themselves before hitting the ground. I hid behind the table. Then Arthur caught me.

ARIADNE'S POV

I was glad Eames kicked us awake. Arthur had told me about death by explosion, and it didn't sound very appealing. Eames had left five minutes ago, leaving me alone with Arthur.

"You know, I never got to ask you a question," he said, looking up at me.

"What is it then?" I said hopefully.

"When I started that bar fight, did you think I was an out of control drunk? Like Eames?" he asked. I laughed when he mentioned him.

"No, I was scared though. I was ready to slap Eames, but then you barreled him over. When you were knocked out, I was so scared!" I bowed my head, and my hair fell in my face.

"Okay, as long as you don't think I'm a bad person," he said softly. He kneeled down, so he could look into my eyes. He pushed my hair behind my ear, then kissed me on the cheek.

**Aww! Adorable! I told you I'd add a lil' bit of fluff! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi, because it's Saturday, and I'm sick and bored, I'm going to publish another chapter, your treat!**

It was ten in the morning, and we were having a meeting.

"So, once we've made the plant, how do we go out? Hope you have something more elegant in mind than shooting me in the head?" asked Arthur, who was leaning back precariously in his chair. Though he had good balance if he was still up.

"A kick," said Cobb. Even though I knew Eames had kicked us, I still didn't get it, and how you kicked someone. Well, I know how you normally kick someone, I'm not an idiot, but a dream kick.

"What's a kick?" I asked.

"This, Ariadne, would be a kick." Eames kicked the chair of Arthur's chair and Arthur fell backwards. I watched him panic as he fell down, and I knew that scary feeling. But I laughed anyway. Arthur glared at Eames.

For the next few hours, we tested Arthur by giving him different sedatives and then kicking him into reality. It was funny, though I wouldn't admit it to his face. The look at his normally stoic face was absolutely hilarious. Eames, of course, got a kick out of kicking Arthur.

Afterwards, all of us went into the second level of the dream. They all approved, though it was only Arthur who didn't say anything. He just looked at me and smirked, which I took as approval.

Cobb was stuck on trying to get the timing correct. We knew that Fischer was going to Los Angeles, but we didn't know what plane would take the longest time to get there. We needed at least ten hours. And we needed a private cabin, so nobody would walk through.

Arthur and I walked towards the stairs toward Cobb, after coming back from the tour of the hotel. I knew that he knew what the answer was.

"It would have to be a 747," he told Cobb, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

"Why is that?" asked Cobb.

"Because in a 747, the pilot's up top, and the first class cabin's in the nose, so no one would walk through. But you'd have to buy out the entire cabin. And the first class attendant-" Arthur was interrupted by Saito.

"I bought the airline," Saito announced. We all stared at him. He just shrugged, as if it weren't a big deal. "It seemed neater."

"Well, that solves that. Now let's wake up, I have to go pee!" Yusuf said. Arthur shot him in the chest. Then Saito, Cobb and Eames. Then he turned to me. He hesitated for a moment. And, with an unwavering gaze, and fingers firmly around the gun, he pulled the trigger.

When I woke up, that's when I realized that I might be falling for a criminal.

ARTHUR'S POV

Ariadne didn't talk to me for the rest of the day. I don't know what I could've done to upset her. I went to go get lunch, and when I got back, she was on my computer. I ran over immediately and closed it, because I knew she had been looking through my personal information. And that had all my police records. I ran my hand through my hair, then I stopped because she was staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You have a record in almost fifteen countries, and most of them are for assault and theft. Some countries you're supposed to be in jail, and others are still searching for you." She looked at me with a hard gaze.

"It's my job. You're a criminal too, you know," I said.

She seemed shocked at first, but then she remembered. "Oh yeah."

I lifted her hands from the laptop, and put it on a chair.

"You're from California?" she asked suddenly.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "Yeah."

"Wealthy parents, but they disowned you once you ran away from military school to work in the dream business," Ariadne recited from my profile. I don't know why I even bothered to look at my own profile.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. What's done is done, there's no turning back. You'll realize that soon enough, this is what dreams do to you," I said. She looked like she might cry. I wanted to make her feel better, but I wasn't the right one. "I doubt this will happen to you, Ariadne." I kissed her hand. For a moment, I thought she was going to be mad at me, then her eyes softened and she leaned forward. I did too. And then, of course, Eames walked in, and cleared his throat loudly. We both pulled away quickly.

I heard him laugh as he walked away. I wanted to kill him. When I stood up, she grabbed my wrist and said no. Then she went back to her desk.

ARIADNE'S POV

I can't believe we almost kissed! I didn't like him! Well, a little bit. Something just came over me after he kissed my hand. Then Eames had to ruin everything!

But as soon as his lips had touched my skin, I felt like I was going to burn up. If we kissed, like mouth to mouth, that would probably be a whole other level. I drifted off, giving myself away to little fantasies.

COBB'S POV

Eames had told me what he saw between Arthur and Ariadne. I was mad, but more at myself. Of course I wanted them to be happy, but now was not the right time to be distracted. Arthur, of all people, should know that. But I decided not to dwell on this. I trusted Arthur with my life, and everyone else on the team.

Ariadne truly was a talented architect, maybe even better than I was. I had went into the third level, and I was amazed by the detail. Eames, Ariadne, Saito and I would be going into the third level of the dream. Arthur would stay behind in the second, and Yusuf in the first. Inception was hard, but it was possible.

**Ok, the seventh chapter! Wow! So next chapter, they will be performing inception, but it won't be exactly the way it was in the movie! Please review, and I will update ASAP!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Omg, I love this chapter! A couple details are changed, fyi! But you will definitely see why I love it! ;D**

I boarded the airplane nervously. Arthur sat behind me. I saw Fischer walk to his seat. Cobb "pretended" to find his passport and give it back to him. The flight attendant, who Saito had hired to hide the PASIV, gave him a glass of water, which was mixed with Yusuf's sedative. He was out almost instantly. The attendant took the PASIV out from the microwave and gave it to Arthur. He handed everyone their lines, and then mine. He inserted the needle for me, and tried to smile slightly, but his eyes told me was also nervous.

I appeared on the sidewalk, in the rain. Ugh. I hated being wet, especially in good clothes. I hope Arthur didn't see me like this. After waiting a couple minutes, I saw Arthur driving a taxi with Saito in the passenger's seat. Eames and Fischer were in the back seat of the taxi. Cobb and Yusuf were in the car behind them. Cobb stopped and I got into the passenger's seat. People started shooting at us from passing cars. The windows in the taxi shattered. I was worried for Arthur. I gasped when I saw that Saito had been shot. Suddenly, just as we stopped because of traffic, a freight train barreled right through the center of the road, pushing both cars off to the side.

"Why did you add a freight train?" Cobb asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I didn't," I said, looking confused. Suddenly, I remembered Mal. She had told me a riddle about a train. From the look on Cobb's face, he had realized it too. I knew Arthur was going to be mad, because it was costing us time.

After a couple minutes, we reached the warehouse and we blindfolded Fischer so he wouldn't see us. Arthur and Cobb were yelling at each other furiously.

"It should have showed up in the research, I'm sorry!" Arthur yelled.

"I can't believe you missed this! You're the point man, and you should've known!" Cobb shouted.

"You're the one who can't control Mal!" Arthur retorted.

"No, I can't believe you didn't tell us about the Limbo threat earlier!" Eames yelled. "So now, if we die because of Fischer's militarized subconscious, we'll end up in Limbo! Just great!"

Yusuf and I just watched them argue. After a couple more minutes, we decided to get moving. We would have to help Saito the best we could. He couldn't afford to go to Limbo.

Eames changed into Peter Browning, a man Fischer was close to, and pretended to be tortured by yelling. Cobb and Arthur wore black robber masks while interrogating Fischer.

We all headed back to the van after Fischer was knocked out. Arthur opened the garage door slightly and started shooting. Eames nodded his head. I raised my eyebrow.

"I'll be right back darling. He'll never have enough imagination to kill people quickly," he said, grinning. I saw Arthur get irritated as Eames walked up to him. "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling," he said, pulling out a grenade launcher, causing an explosion, killing all the projections easily. I giggled, but it didn't last very long. The next thing I knew, Yusuf was driving the van, and I was going under, again.

I woke up in the second level of the dream, a hotel, next to Arthur on a two-person-seat sofa. I was in a lady business jacket, and matching skirt. I don't know the right term, probably because I've never worn one in my life. Arthur, of course, was in his usual suit. With his hair slicked back. It was hard to impress him because he always looked so good! I was mad at him for that. But just after a few minutes, I let it go. It was hard to stay mad at him. I could stay mad longer at my dog than him!

The hotel started shaking, though the projections didn't seem to notice. I saw Cobb talking to Fischer in the bar.

"What's happening?" I asked as the hotel shook more violently.

"Your subconscious is looking for the dreamer; me," he paused. "Quick, give me a kiss."

I obliged, because I knew this was for the job. I mean, why would he want me to kiss him if it didn't involve the job? I felt like melting when his lips touched mine. But the feeling was brief, because he pulled away, starting to smirk slightly. I looked around at the projections.

"They're still looking at us," I said stupidly.

"Yeah, it was worth a shot," he said, getting up. His smirk was even wider. And as I stood up, I started to smile, too.

EAMES'S POV

I saw that. Saito and I both. We were waiting for Fischer when Arthur and Ariadne kissed. And I saw her smile as she stood up. She liked it. I was right. Aren't I always?

ARIADNE'S POV

I tried listening to Arthur as he planted the bombs. But I was intently focused on just watching his every move. The way he occasionally ran his hand through his hair, even though it was already perfect, the way he smirked at me when I looked confused. It would come at as arrogant to a lot of people, but not to me.

We decided to use the stairs. As I reached the landing in between the floors, we heard footsteps. And just as soon as it started, I was shot in the arm. I screamed. I fell back against the wall, and my vision blurred as I watched Arthur and the two other men fight.

He carried me, again, to the hotel room. Because of our little incident, everyone was there already. Eames, Saito, Cobb and Fischer.

"What happened?" Cobb asked.

"We were ambushed on the way up," Arthur reported.

"I don't know if she can go to the next level. Her arm will still be weak, and the next level is physically demanding." Cobb contemplated with himself for a couple more seconds. "Ariadne, you'll stay with Arthur."

"Okay." My stomach fluttered with excitement at the thought of being alone with him.

I didn't catch what Eames told Arthur, but I heard Arthur reply, "And I will lead them on a merry chase."

Arthur handed everyone their lines, and then they all they unconscious. We had actually tricked Fischer into going into his own subconscious.

We both sat there for a couple minutes before leaving the hotel room. He'd insisted that I stay in the room, but I argued that I'm not that weak. He sighed in the end, pulled me on his lap, and whispered into my ear, "You're too stubborn."

"I know," I whispered back, and kissed him quickly. He pulled me in again, but he broke away when he remembered we had work to do. He packed up the PASIV and left it on the bed. Then we walked out of the hotel room. I followed him willingly.

We walked toward the end of the hallway when we heard the elevator ding. Arthur bowed his head and turned right. I walked right behind him. Then we hid on the side of the wall, where Arthur took out his gun. And just as the man came around the corner, Arthur reached out and grabbed his arm. The man slammed him against the opposite wall. I gasped. Then I saw another man take out his gun from the end of the hallway. The gravity shifted, making the hallway slowly rotate. Arthur managed to lift the other guy and slam him against the wall. The hallway rotated faster, and Arthur was now sitting on the ground. He threw the man down the long hallway, making a loud crack as he hit the wall. Arthur was on the ceiling, trying to get a grip on the wall. As the hallway rotated, I turned with it, so I wouldn't be upside down. I screamed as the hallway rotated faster. Arthur was standing on the ceiling, and the other man was trying to get his gun. As the hallway rotated again, I watched Arthur run toward the other man. He looked like a spider, because he was crawling/running sideways. Then he was right side up again. With his left hand he clasp his hand around the man's left shoulder, and deliver a powerful right hook. The gun fell out of the man's hand, and Arthur threw him against the wall. I watched in terror. My heart rate sped up as I watched Arthur fight the other man. I was breathing heavily. Arthur jumped on the ceiling and kicked the man, and I watched in amazement and admiration. And fright.

They both slid through the door into an empty hotel room. I ran in after them. They hit the desk, and Arthur managed to stand up and punch him. They were tangled up, and I screamed again as Arthur hit the wall. The gun slid past Arthur's hand. He rolled off the bed. The gun came toward him…

And Arthur shot him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi, this is a continuation of the eighth chapter, though it's technically the ninth. This story is only going to be ten chapters, though I might add if I don't get where I want the story to be in ten, so enjoy!**

The shot still rang in the air seconds after Arthur shot the man. I sat on the bed, clutching my arm, in silence. We were both shaken.

"Hey, look at me," Arthur said, sitting next to me. "It's fine. We're alright."

I was still breathing heavily. I looked at his bruised hand. I curled my fingers with his. I still haven't told him that I liked him. That I was falling for him. That I had been trying to deny this. I closed my eyes and thought of what would happen after inception. Would I ever see him again? But the big question lingered. Yeah, we've kissed, once for "business", and another for comfort. The question. Ugh, it rang in my head. Did he like me too?

"C'mon, let's get going," Arthur said, getting up. Would he always be able to sneak away and dodge the questions that were making my head spin? Why was it so hard for him to open up?

I followed anyway. He pushed the heavy fire escape door open. We walked down the long flights of stairs in silence. Once, we encountered another man, but Arthur just pushed him off the stair case to fall to his doom. Suddenly, Arthur looked up.

"What?" I asked.

"The music. We have to go back up," he said.

"Can we use the elevator?" I asked.

"Fine," he said, still concentrating on the music. I couldn't hear anything.

As we walked down the hallway towards the room, Arthur stopped. "It stopped!"

And, as soon as he finished, we floated up in the air. I tried to scream, but no noise came out. I tried talking, but not a sound. Arthur couldn't talk either. How were we supposed to get to the hotel room? And why didn't the kick work?

ARTHUR'S POV

I can't believe it. The kick didn't work. The music had stopped, and now we couldn't talk and were floating in the air. I wanted to tell her that in Yusuf's layer, we were in free fall, because the van was falling off the bridge. But it was too soon. I waved my arms in the air, but I didn't move. Then I reached over, grabbed the wall, pushed off, and I flew slowly toward the room. Behind me, I saw Ariadne do the same.

We managed to get to the hotel room. I knew that we had to do death by explosion. I absolutely hated that, but it was the only way to get out of this layer. I spotted a long wire, and with Ariadne's help, we tied everyone together with the wire. We pulled them to the elevator. We pulled them in. I also pulled the explosives off the ceiling and took them with me. I pulled off the tile on the ceiling, so Ariadne and I could plant the explosives. We were practically sitting on top of the elevator. I sighed mentally and got to work.

ARIADNE'S POV

I watched as Arthur planted the explosives. They were set to go off in one minute. When there was only fifteen seconds left, he cut the lines holding the elevator up, and the elevator zoomed towards the bottom. We both held on tightly as we got closer.

5, 4...

My heart started racing.

3, 2...

Arthur took my hand.

1...

The last thing I saw before I died was the wild fire of the explosion dancing in Arthur's black eyes.

XXXXXX

I woke up, inside the water-filled van. Cobb and Saito looked dead. The look in Arthur's eyes told me that they were in Limbo. Eames finished using the oxygen mask and handed it to me. I inhaled the sweet air deeply, and then handed it to Arthur. I shoved the van door open. I swam through the water as fast as I could, barely able to hold my breath. As soon as I reached the surface, I took in as much oxygen as I could possibly take, and pulled myself onto the shore. Arthur came up a couple seconds later, his suit drenched. But I sighed with relief because he was okay.

Eames came up with a still unconscious Fischer. Then Yusuf, Saito and Cobb. They all stood in the distance, watching the setting sun. Arthur and I sat by the water.

"I can't contact you for three weeks, you know," Arthur said.

"Yeah." I sat in my misery. Even though I was happy that it was a job well done, I couldn't talk to Arthur for three weeks. If I hadn't fallen for the point man, I wouldn't have felt as bad.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"How can you not know what's wrong?" I burst out. "I've fallen in love with you, and I can't see you for three weeks, and you still don't know what's wrong?" I had started shouting, so now Saito, Eames and Cobb were staring at us.

Arthur sat there for a minute, thinking. I can't believe how ignorant he is to human emotions. And before I could say anything else, he took my face in his hands and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer, if that was possible. I deepened the kiss, I mean, I wasn't going to see him for three weeks, this would have to satisfy me for that amount of time. He hungrily kissed my jaw. I tilt my head back, giving myself up to the senses.

We were both snapped back to reality when Eames cleared his throat from behind us. We pulled away, both blushing like crazy. But Arthur was determined not to be embarrassed, especially by Eames, so he smirked his heart-stopping smirk. I felt like I had to drown myself just to stop thinking about how cute he looked when he smirked.

"Time's almost up," Yusuf said, walking over. Indeed it was. Just a couple seconds later, a bright light blinded me, and then I was gone from the dream world.

I woke up on the airplane, about the same time as everyone else. We all sat up as quickly as we could, because Fischer looked around.

"Please fasten your seatbelts, we will be arriving shortly," the flight attendant said.

Yeah, we will be arriving at reality. The dream was over.

Within the next hour, we landed. I got off the plane as soon as I could, and I headed to customs. Afterwards, I watched Cobb and Miles walk away. Then Eames. And Yusuf. Arthur was last to leave. I watched his retreating back with longing. He stopped, turned around, and caught my eye. Then he was gone too, leaving me behind.

**Ok, now I know that next chapter is the last chapter! But don't cry, I may write a sequel ;D Oh by the way, writing the kissing scenes is a lot harder than it seems! Please review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok, hope you like the ending of Behind the Scenes! Enjoy!**

I got on the first flight back to Paris. It had been two and a half weeks. A very long, excruciating and boring two and a half weeks. I went back to school, and graduated with high honors. Now I was waiting to get employed, but it would never be the same as being an architect for the dream world. I realized how this business could kill you. It was addicting. And Arthur didn't want me to be in it. He was already hooked.

Arthur. Just hearing his name made me shiver. And miss him even more.

I tried not to think about him. But what if I would never hear from or see him again? Just the thought of that made me want to throw up. Gross.

I looked at the clock, practically the whole day. There was nothing better to do. Now that I graduated, I realized that school was what took up most of the time in my life. My friends were all on vacation. They'd offered for me to come with them, but what if Arthur came here, looking for me? And if I wasn't here… I didn't even think about that.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…

I was going insane. The clicks of the clock seemed to linger in my brain. I started shaking violently.

"Stop, Ariadne," I said to myself.

I spilled my glass of water all over the floor. Great. I got up, my legs wobbling. If only he were there to catch me when I fell. My mind wandered back to him. I slapped my head in frustration. It wasn't three weeks yet. I would see him then, hopefully. I brought myself over to the couch, where he had laid just weeks ago. I breathed in his scent deeply, taking it all in. I fell asleep there, still thinking about him.

ARTHUR'S POV

Cobb broke his own rules. He called me and asked if I wanted to come over to see James and Philippa. I gladly obliged. They were still the sweetest kids I knew, even though they reminded both of us of Mal. I tried remembering her as the lovely woman she was in reality, not the evil, conniving woman in Cobb's dreams.

"Uncle Arthur!" they had shouted when I came through the door. Philippa was wrapped around one leg, James around the other. They tackled me when I fell over from all the weight.

That night, Cobb said I could stay in the guest room. I accepted. We watched a movie when James and Philippa were asleep. The Mask of Zorro. Cobb said that Mal made him watch it. It was good, but Elena and Alejandro only reminded me of Ariadne and me.

COBB'S POV

Arthur stayed over for the next three days, because James and Philippa begged. I was glad that they were bonding, but something in Arthur's eyes was unsettling.

Ariadne.

He missed her. It was so very obvious. He had fallen for her too. I hope this doesn't end in the sad way it had with Mal and I.

ARIADNE'S POV

Two more days. That was it. Everything would be alright once I saw him again. But for now it wasn't. I hadn't been able to leave the house. My neighbors were already talking, saying I had depression, or post traumatic stress, or a nervous breakdown. But it was love. This is what love has reduced me to. This is what he was done to me.

Yet, for him, I would get through this. Because even though this is the most miserable period of time in my life, the thought of seeing him again made my heart race with excitement.

ARTHUR'S POV

I was just leaving Dom's house when I got a phone call, from Paris. I answered, thinking it was Ariadne. Instead, I got news that she was in the hospital, unconscious. For no apparent reason.

I got on the first flight to Paris, first class of course. As soon as I landed, I took a taxi to the hospital. And when I was about to walk into her room, the nurse said she wasn't well enough yet. I groaned inwardly, and book a room in a hotel only a couple blocks away from her apartment. Five star.

I sat on the bed, thinking of none other than Ariadne. I hope she's alright.

ARIADNE'S POV

I barely remembered anything. Just bits and pieces. Though my vision was blurred. I saw my neighbor on the ground next to me, looking into my eyes, asking me something. I just groaned.

Next thing I knew, I was in the hospital.

But only one more day. In one day, everything would be alright.

COBB'S POV

Eames and I were boarding a flight to Paris. Arthur had told us what happened. Yusuf was meeting us in Paris, because he went back to Mombasa. I hope Arthur could cope on his own.

ARIADNE'S POV

My eyes fluttered open, revealing a white room. I was still in the bleak hospital room. But one thing didn't belong. I looked up and saw Arthur, leaning against the wall casually. Though he was still in a suit. He didn't notice that I was awake. I watched him. He was… perfect. Everything I've ever wanted.

But his face was masked with worry. I felt bad that I had caused him to worry about me. There was something else. Guilt? Why would he be guilty?

I already came up with the answer. He was guilty that I was brought into all the complications of the dream world. That I had fallen for him. But I didn't care that I was here, as long as I got to see him again.

I sat up, clearing my throat. He whirled around to face me. We just looked at each other for a couple moments. Though it seemed so much longer. I waited for him to do something.

He smirked at me in that heart-stopping way, once again, hypnotizing me. And I melted.

**Awwww, adorable! Ok, this is not the last chapter, I'm aiming for 12, my lucky number! Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi, sorry I've had a case of writer's block. Usually when that happens, I never end up finishing a story, but your reviews encourage me to keep going, so here's the eleventh chapter! **

I could've swam in the dark pools that were Arthur's eyes if Eames, Cobb and Yusuf hadn't walked in. I immediately got up and hugged them. Eames grinned at us knowingly. I rolled my eyes. He would never stop.

EAMES'S POV

Cobb told us all a bunch of stories about James and Philippa, but I didn't pay attention. I was watching Arthur and Ariadne. They kept glancing at each other when they thought no one was looking. But I was. Sometimes, Ariadne would watch Arthur for a couple seconds before turning around, then he would watch her. It's like they had shifts. It was horrible watching them moon over one another like teenagers.

But I guess I couldn't complain. It's not like I didn't do that with Caitlin.

ARTHUR'S POV

I had to do it. Had to. It was hard enough just trying to sneak a glance at her with Eames there, but asking her on a date? Impossible. Yet again, that's what I thought about inception, and here we are.

Ariadne was out of the hospital now, thank God. I hadn't seen her in a couple days, because I was contemplating whether to make a move or not. These things didn't usually take days, but she wasn't the usual girl. It was _Ariadne. _

Why was it so complicated? I could simply just walk to her house and ask her out. But it _was_ that complicated.

Finally, after hours of hard thinking, I decided to visit her. This would be the time I finally ask her. I arrived at her house at exactly five o'clock, just like I told her.

"Hi," she said, opening the door before I even rang the doorbell. Clearly she also expected me to be here on time.

"Hello," I said, suddenly feeling myself blush. I bowed my head. "May I come in?"

"Uh, yeah," she stuttered. This was hard for both of us.

We sat through a painfully awkward silence. I sat up, and blurted out, "?" I asked extremely fast."

"What?" she asked, smiling slightly.

I said it slowly this time. "Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?"

"Yes," she said, taking my hand. I blushed again. Ugh. Why couldn't I stop myself this time?

While thinking about that, she had led me to the door. "I'll pick you up at eight o'clock sharp," I promised.

She smiled. "I'll be here."

ARIADNE'S POV

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my _God_! He asked me out! When he left, I leaned against the door, breathing heavily.

I had absolutely no idea where he was taking me, so I didn't know whether to dress casual or formal. I ended up dressing formal. Knowing Arthur, he would probably take me to a five star restaurant. I curled my hair and put on mascara, lip gloss and a bit of blush. And some eyeliner, and eye shadow. I had to look perfect.

At eight o'clock, I watched for his car. When I saw it pull up, I ran to the door, opening just as he came up the steps. He smirked at me. It was only him who could render me defenseless.

I gaped at him. He wasn't wearing a suit, he was wearing an outfit much like the one he wore when I first met him. Except the vest was dark gray instead of brown.

"Should I change?" I asked. "I didn't know where we were going, so-"

"It's fine, you look beautiful," he complimented. Of course, always the gentleman.

"Cheesy, but I'll take it," I said. And I took his arm.

EAMES'S POV

I sighed. Why did Caitlin have to have a boyfriend? It's not everyday I really fall for someone, Arthur said so too! And he's usually, I can't believe I'm gonna say this, right. I was laying on the bed, looking out into Paris. Then I remembered something. Something that I never told Arthur that I've done with Cobb, surprisingly, before, whenever he went on a date with Jen: We spied on him.

It was funny, watching him stutter and make the whole situation awkward. It would be even worse for Ariadne. The man was hopelessly in love with her. Completely infatuated. One day, during inception, I went into his room to wake him up. And he was muttering 'Ariadne' in his sleep.

I called Cobb, but he said he didn't want to spy. Party pooper. So I called Caitlin, even though she was Arthur's ex-girlfriend's sister. But she told me once that even though Jen loved someone else, while Arthur was gone, she still loved him like a brother. So it wasn't wrong, in a way.

"Caitlin?" I asked, pressing the phone down on my ear.

"Eames?" she asked. "Why did you call? I told you I have a boyfriend," she said, though I knew she wasn't mad.

"I'm not asking about that. Do you want to spy on Arthur and Ariadne with me?" I asked, trying to stifle a laugh.

I felt her relax. "Sure. Where do I meet you?"

"At the bus station. See you there, darling," I said, hanging up. But before I did, I swear I heard her giggle cutely. Why did she have to make me feel like I was about to explode?

COBB'S POV

I decided to go get pizza, while I was in Europe. I walked the few blocks from the hotel to get to the pizzeria. And just as I walked in, I saw Arthur and Ariadne, apparently on a date.

"Cobb?" Ariadne asked, shocked.

"Arthur?" I asked.

"Cobb" Arthur asked.

"Ariadne?" I asked. This was awkward. "Well, I'll leave you two alone." I walked up to the counter to pick up my pizza. I walked past Arthur and Ariadne again, who watched me walk out, embarrassed. I can't believe Arthur finally worked up the courage to ask her out.

Things got even weirder when I saw Eames and Caitlin looking through the window of the pizzeria.

"Eames?" I asked.

"Cobb?" Caitlin asked.

"Caitlin?" I asked.

"Cobb?" Eames asked. Then he grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick up a pizza," I said. "What are you doing here?"

"Spying on Arthur and Ariadne," Eames said, smirking.

I nodded my head. "Seriously Eames, you're a grown man."

"A baby in an adult body," teased Caitlin. Eames swatted her arm, but not before I saw him look at her in a way that Mal had looked at me when she was alive.

"Well, this pizza's not gonna eat itself. I'll see you later," I said, finally at peace.

ARIADNE'S POV

The date went perfectly. He walked me home, and before I could even say goodbye, he kissed my cheek, and was off.

Sneaky Arthur. I'd get him one day.

Also, I thought about why Eames and Caitlin were standing outside the pizzeria. Were they spying on us? That would not be cool, though it was something I expected of Eames anyway.

And I would've never laughed about that if it weren't for inception.

**Wow, the longest chapter I've ever written! Sorry for not updating sooner, it's spring break! And I've been watching Harry Potter movies, cuz I'm totally awesome, and I must write a fanfic about Remus Lupin/ Nymphadora Tonks, cuz they're awesome, and Sirius/OC, and George and Luna! Hehehehe, I still have to start them, I've just been reading fanfics about them, now I have to start my own! Back to Inception, please review, por favor!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well, this is the official ending of Behind the Scenes! Hope you like it!**

It was a year after inception. Time really has flown by. Arthur and I have been on many dates, and were currently working on an extraction team with Cobb, Eames and Yusuf. It took a bit of convincing to get Cobb back into the business. But we mostly stuck to small extractions, so we were safe for the time being.

It was a happy time in our lives. We could do the work we loved, and be around our friends. Cobb had moved his family to Paris, where I had taken Miles's place as professor. The rest of the team managed to live off the money from extractions. We had also bought the warehouse. It was only right, that was where we had all worked together on the most complicated job we had ever done.

Arthur walked over and leaned against the wall beside my desk. I looked up and smiled at him. "Bonjour," he said.

"Hello," I said. I waited expectantly. I knew he wouldn't just stop working to talk to me about something not related to the job.

"Are you busy tonight?" he asked, watching to make sure Eames was nowhere in sight.

"No," I replied, already excited.

"Alright, meet me here at eight o'clock, the usual time." He grinned at me widely, a rare thing indeed, and went back to his desk. He caught my eye and winked at me. I wonder what he was so happy about. Not that it was bad, but he was usually so, emotionless. Well, I guess people do change.

XXXXXXXX

Because we were just meeting at the warehouse, I dressed casually. As in jeans, a blouse and a scarf, my trademark outfit. Just like a suit was Arthur's trademark outfit. Though I could never imagine him in jeans, so I was okay with it.

I decided to walk. There were no clouds in the sky, so the streets of Paris were basked in moonlight. I was surprised to see no lights on in the warehouse. I reached my hand through the hydrangea bush near the door. Arthur hid a gun there, just in case. I held it in my hand, and I kicked open the door.

EAMES'S POV

Arthur, Cobb, Yusuf and I hid in the warehouse. It was going to be an exciting night. Our little stick-in-the-mud was proposing to Ariadne! I always thought that he would be the type to propose in private. Well, I guess I was wrong.

The back door opened and Caitlin walked in, carrying two bottles of wine. I waved her over to the corner behind Cobb's desk. She managed to kneel down just in time. Ariadne had just walked in, gun in hand.

ARIADNE'S POV

The warehouse was silent. I turned on the lights. I walked over to my desk and sat down, waiting for Arthur to arrive. It wasn't like him to be late. Suddenly, the lights turned off again. I groaned and got up.

"SURPRISE!" Arthur, Cobb, Eames, Yusuf and Caitlin yelled in unison.

I screamed. But I laughed when I saw that it was them. Caitlin and Eames each popped a wine bottle open.

"What's going on here?" I asked. Why would they throw a party for no reason? Well, it could be an office party, like in that movie that I saw once, though I forgot what it was called.

Arthur walked up nervously. Cobb patted him on the back and said good luck. He tried smiling, and failed. I wondered what was going on.

He kneeled down. Eames walked up from behind him and placed a small box in his hand. I gasped, knowing what was happening. I willed myself not to cry.

"Ariadne, will you marry me?" he asked, shaking a little. I smiled at that. That was so adorable!

"Yes!" I squealed. He slid the cold ring onto my finger. He stood up, looking relieved, as if he hadn't expected me to say yes. I kissed him quickly on the lips before turning to Caitlin and hugging her.

We celebrated the whole night, and of course, Eames got drunk, though not as bad as the night in the club. I was filled with happiness, knowing that I would be with Arthur for the rest of my life. This was better than a dream, and in dreams you could create your own buildings and make whatever you want. But in reality, there are good and bad things, which makes the good things a lot more special. Events in reality are more fulfilling and satisfying, in ways that a dream could never compare.

**I hope you liked my story! Oh, in fanfics, you know the lines that separate different parts of the story? Could you please tell me how to make those in your reviews? Thank you!**

**-Daisara Belle**


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